Endorsed by: Dirk Benedict • Richard Hatch• Jane Seymour • Stu Phillips • Jack Stauffer • Laurette Spang • Ronald D. Moore • Aaron Douglas • Hollywood North Report

I Finally Got My Cylon

Commander Taggart Takes A Look At The New Joyride Studios Collectibles

I didn't grow up in a wealthy family. We weren't poor, by any stretch of the imagination, but we did have to watch every penny we spent.

I remember when the first Cylon centurion action figures came out. I remember seeing them in the back of the 1978 Best Products Christmas catalog. I remember it had a battery-operated red oscillating eye that lit up when you pressed a button on its back.

Man, I wanted one. But, I guess that was a budget-buster for Santa that year, because come Christmas morning, that was one of the items on my carefully prepared list that didn't show up under the tree.

I never got my Cylon.

Until now.

And a Cylon Raider and Colonial Viper, to boot.

I returned home from work one day last week to find my Series 1 Joyride Studios Battlestar Galactica toys had finally arrived.
With the giddiness of a twelve-year old on Christmas morning, I ripped open the plain brown box, and removed the treasures inside.

The first toy I pulled out was the Raider. Eagerly, but gently, I pried the plastic cover away from the cardboard backing of the package, and found the toy a little more difficult to coax out of its housing than I would have liked. It was likewise almost maddening to remove the twisty that secured the toy to its packaging from the underbelly of the ship. This actually took a bit of creativity. One I had accomplished this feat, however, I was finally able to behold this beautifully detailed little gem. This, folks, is clearly the best of the bunch. I compared it against my last surviving Monogram Cylon Raider model (I used to have two. The one that survived my childhood is intact, save for one missing laser cannon), I was greatly impressed by the level of detail on the Joyride miniature. I quickly assembled the supplied plastic display base, and set the ship on top of it.

Okay. I admit it. I whizzed it around through the air a little bit and made laser sounds with my mouth first. Don’t tell my girlfriend. It is now proudly displayed next to my computer monitor on the desk of my home office.

Also included with the packaging were two tiny little rubber Cylon centurions, which were destined to join the third member of their crew, already inside the cockpit of the Raider. You might find the cockpit a little difficult to open at first, but just stick something small and flat, like a pen cap or nail file, and gently pry that puppy right up. Then drop your little rubber Cylons in, and you've got a complete Raider crew!

Next up was the Viper. I had a couple of the original Monogram Viper models, too, but they were lost to my childhood, as well, so I was double delighted to coax this little puppy out of its plastic housing. It popped out a lot more easily than the Raider had, partly because the twisty was wrapped around the Viper’s fuselage, and was extremely easy to remove. After giving it, too, the whoosh test, I was flooded with a powerful sense of nostalgia. Enough so to remove the Raider from its base and reenact a stock battle from the original series. Really. Don't tell my girlfriend.

This also came packaged with a little rubber Colonial Warrior, who fits quite nicely inside the Viper's cockpit (which is quite easy to open). Like the Raider, the Viper sits very nicely on its base.

Finally, I opened the Cylon centurion. At long last. While it doesn't have a battery- operated eye (it's painted on), it’s still plenty menacing. The figure comes with an equally menacing looking laser rifle, and even a sword! THAT'S attention to detail! It takes some effort to get the little guy to stand on his own two feet (no display base), but once you have accomplished this feat (no pun intended), you can stand back and admire.

Like I said.

I finally got my Cylon.

Joyride Studios deserves kudos for its attention to detail with this first set of Battlestar Galactica toys, it is apparent that each piece was crafted by fans, and they have created a set of toys (when I told my girlfriend about them, I called them "collectibles") that no true Battlestar Galactica fan should be without.

Series 2, which will include Starbuck, Apollo, and a Gold Cylon Commander are due out this summer. I can’t wait.

For more information, visit http://www.joyridestudios.com

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